Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Behaalotekha/0/he

נושאים לשולחן שבת – פרשת בהעלתך

Second Chances and Pesach Sheni

In במדבר ט', a group of people who were ritually impure from contact with a corpse petition Moshe to nonetheless permit them to participate in the Paschal rite.

• Nature of the request – Given that the ritually impure are generally excluded from partaking in sacrifices, on what basis do the people expect Moshe to allow them to participate? Is their request grounded in strict legal arguments that the prohibition should not apply to them,¹ or are they asking for Moshe to override the law as a humanitarian dispensation?²  Or, perhaps, do they simply wish to bring the offering at a different time, as ultimately occurs?³  Which possibility is best supported by the verses?  Does Moshe have the power to overrule a Torah prohibition?  See פסח שני – הבקשה.
• Second chances – Why does Hashem allow for a "second chance" specifically with regard to the Pesach sacrifice, as opposed to other commandments?  Should people always be given a second chance, or are there instances when this is not warranted?  What does our story suggest about who deserves a second chance and who might not?

Miracles in the Wilderness: The Selav

After the nation complains about the tedious nature of their Manna diet, Hashem provides them with "שְׂלָו".  The people gluttonously gather and devour it and are immediately punished by God.

• Though most identify the "שְׂלָו" as quail, a minority opinion asserts that it refers to fish.  How might each identification illuminate the Biblical account?  For elaboration, see שְׂלָו – דג או עוף?
• The nation's complaint of "אֵין כֹּל בִּלְתִּי אֶל הַמָּן עֵינֵינוּ" would suggest that the Manna was their sole source of nourishment.  The הואיל משהשמות ט"ז:י"חאודות ר' משה יצחק אשכנזי disagrees, suggesting that the Manna served only as a supplement and that there were often other food options.  What might be prompting this position?  What does it suggest about the miraculous (or not so miraculous) nature of the Israelites' wandering in the Wilderness?  See החיים במדבר for more.

Idle Gossip or a Challenge to Authority?

How is Miryam and Aharon's critique of Moshe to be understood?  Was this simply idle and misguided chatter, or did they have a more fundamental disagreement with his behavior, leading them to question his authority as leader? See ביקורת מרים על משה והכושית.

• The Sifreי"ב:א'אודות ספרי במדבר views Miryam and Aharon as intending no harm, and, in fact, trying to improve Moshe's family life by encouraging the resumption of normal relations between Moshe and Zipporah.  Some modern scholars,⁴ in contrast, cast Miryam and Aharon in a negative light, suggesting that they were contesting Moshe's leadership and claiming to be his equals. With whom do you agree?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of each position? 
• ר' יוסף בכור שורבמדבר י"ב:א'-ו'אודות ר' יוסף בכור שור presents Moshe's siblings as being troubled by what they perceived as hubris in Moshe's decision to marry a non-Israelite woman.  Was intermarriage prohibited at this point in history?  Is it Biblically prohibited?  If not, was marrying an Israelite nevertheless preferred, thus providing some justification for Miryam and Aharon's complaint?
• Under what circumstances is it permitted to speak about another person? What if one has positive intentions and is trying to be constructive?  If another person's actions are troubling, is it problematic to consult a third party about their behavior before approaching the person him/herself? 

Who is Chovav?

Chovav is introduced to the reader as, "Chovav the son of Reuel the Midianite, the choten of Moshe."  From the verse, it is unclear whether Reuel or Chovav was the choten of Moshe.  While שופטים ד':י"א clearly identifies Chovav as being Moshe's choten, in שמות ב' it is Reuel, not Chovav, who is identified as the father of Moshe's wife, Zipporah.  To further confuse matters, in שמות י"ח, it is Yitro who is described as Moshe's choten.  What is the relationship between Chovav, Reuel, and Yitro?  How can they all be Moshe's choten?

• The question depends to a large degree on the meaning of the word choten.  Does it refer only to one's father-in-law,⁵ or might it refer also to one's brother-in-law, especially if he also played a role in contracting the marriage?⁶  For elaboration, see חֹתֵן / חֹתֶנֶת.
• The מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל שמותי"ח:א'אודות מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל שמות posits that Chovav, Reuel, and Yitro are all merely different names of one and the same individual.  This is consistent with the general tendency of Rabbinic Midrashim to consolidate characters by identifying different names with the same person. See Identifications for other examples and analysis.  In our case, what are the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach?⁷  
• If Yitro and Chovav are the same person, why is he still in the Israelite camp in Bemidbar, despite שמות י"ח concluding with Yitro's departure to his own land?  Did Yitro/Chovav return?  If so, why?  For discussion, see חיי יתרו לאחר שמות י"ח and זהותו הדתית של יתרו.
• For elaboration and other approaches regarding the possible relationship between these three characters, see שמותיו של יתרו.

¹ See, for example, ר' יוסף בכור שורבמדבר ט':ו'במדבר י"ב:א'-ו'אודות ר' יוסף בכור שור, רמב"םהלכות קרבן פסח ו':א'-ב'אודות ר' משה בן מיימון or אברבנאלבמדבר ט':א'אודות ר' יצחק אברבנאל.

² See, for instance, ספורנובמדבר ט':ז'אודות ר' עובדיה ספורנו.

³ See עקדת יצחקתורה ע"דאודות ר' יצחק עראמה.

⁴ Various aspects of this position may be found in: M. Margaliyot, "אופייה של נבואת משה", Beit Mikra 25:2 (1980): 132-149, J. Milgrom, The JPS Commentary, Numbers (Philadelphia, 1989):70, J. Licht, פירוש על ספר במדבר יא-כא, (Jerusalem, 1991):35, R. Yaakov Medan, "פרשת בהעלתך",‎ מקור ראשון מוסף שבת ‎(5770),and R. Amnon Bazak, "פרשת האישה הכושית" ‎(5771).

⁵ See שד"לשמות י"ח:א'אודות ר' שמואל דוד לוצאטו.

⁶ Seeר' יונה אבן ג'נאחספר השורשים "חתן"אודות ר' יונה אבן ג'נאח.

⁷ How could it explain why, in our verse, Chovav is referred to as the son of Reuel?